Cherokee Gardens, Louisville facts for kids

Cherokee Gardens is a neighborhood located about six miles east of downtown Louisville, Kentucky in the USA. It's a collection of smaller areas with homes, found along Lexington Road and near the beautiful Cherokee Park. Many important and wealthy families from Louisville lived here in the early 1900s. They liked the large, undeveloped land close to the city center. Most houses in Cherokee Gardens were built between the 1920s and the 1950s. Some were even designed by a famous Louisville architect named Stratton Hammon.

Cherokee Gardens is surrounded by Lexington Road, Cannons Lane, and the I-64 highway. In the year 2000, about 927 people lived in Cherokee Gardens.

History of Cherokee Gardens

How the Land Was Settled

The land that is now Cherokee Gardens was first given to James Southall and Richard Charlton. This happened because of their service in the French and Indian War. For a long time, until the 1850s, the land remained mostly empty. This was because it was not near the main roads of the time, Frankfort Avenue and Bardstown Road.

In 1851, a new road was built. It was an alternative route to Frankfort Avenue. This new road helped travelers avoid the railroad in the area called Clifton. The road was first called 'Shelbyville Branch'. Today, we know it as Lexington Road.

The First Subdivision

The very first part of the neighborhood called Cherokee Gardens was announced in 1925. It was developed by a company named Otis & Bruce Jr. This new area was built on land that used to be part of the Vigilini and Turner family estates. The famous Olmsted Brothers firm was hired to design the beautiful landscaping for the area.

The building lots in this new subdivision sold very quickly. Out of 256 original lots, 241 were sold within just 10 days! They sold for over $900,000 in 1925, which would be worth much more today (equivalent to $15,018,216 in 2022). Many people who bought these lots combined them to create larger properties for their homes.

Growing Over Time

The first Cherokee Gardens subdivision included homes built in the 1920s and 1930s. These homes were located off streets like Primrose, Fairfield, Barberry, Rainbow, Garden, Poppy, Sunset, and Sunnyside.

Later, other parts of Cherokee Gardens were developed:

• Cressbrook was built in 1955, located to the west of the original area.
• The homes off Daneshall Drive were built in 1968. This small area was named after a well-known horse farm that stood there until the 1950s. The original house from the farm is still there today.
• Cherokee Gardens West was developed in 1970. It includes homes off Altagate and Circlewood, on what used to be the old Speed Estate.
• Cherokee Woods subdivision was built in 1974. It's located off the road of the same name and Juniper Hill Road.